The Godzilla Thread

[Zandrax]

all the commentaries are great IMHO.  although watch out one of them has commentary from mst3k hater himself stuart galbraith IV

ill say more about godzilla v sea monster later but i think you owe it to yourself to see that one unmstied if you like godzilla.

What DVD had that commentary? I think I've heard all the Toho Master Collection ones, but I can't remember specific names.

[Zandrax]

TONS better. King Kong vs. Godzilla is all around a pretty bad movie because it was a comedy re-edited to be more sci-fi.

Many monster films have bad scripts with lousy acting/dubbing, and effects that were bad even in their time. That is not the case with this film. This actually has a pretty good script, and the effects only look dated now. I think it is very comparable to the modern Kaiju films from the 90s and 2000s (don't worry, we'll get to their greatness later). One of the constant things about 'zilla films is Godzilla himself usually waits until at least 30 minutes or so into the picture before actually showing up. This one is no exception, and it's more like halfway through the picture before he makes his first appearance. But since the movie concentrates on the giant Mothra egg, there is a strong plot device to keep us interested.

The main part of the first act is the appearance of a giant egg after a hurricane. This is of course a Mothra egg, and Mothra (being, you know, a moth) doesn't live very long. This egg is to be its replacement. The natives of the now obligatory nearby primitive island demand that the egg be returned. Greedy marketers want to use the egg to make money (one of the few similarities from the previous film that stays and actually works is human greed causing conflicts) and try to keep it in Japan.

Cue Godzilla, who had been swept up in the hurricane and was buried amongst a bunch of other ships and debris. He climbs out of the ground and starts wreaking havoc.

I think you can guess the rest of the movie from here. Mothra comes in to save the day, and the last quarter of the movie is a big fight. However, unlike KKvG this is a well planned out and directed fight. No arm flapping.

Another thing I've noticed is Toho reuses a lot of the same actors, but has them in different roles. Maybe it's just a custom they have or had in those days. But Westerners like us would expect the same actors to be playing the same characters in what would essentially be a sequel. For instance, the same actor who played Ogata in the original Gojira plays a reporter in this one. The same actor from KKvG is in this one, playing a different part.

In closing, this movie is a solid 8 or 8.5 on the Giant Monster scale. It's entertaining, and is mainly only campy now due to being 45 years old rather than bad film making. Another nice touch is that the voice actors fake Japanese accents, and the dialogue was translated to more match how the mouths were moving, and not a direct translation of words. The result is a far more convincing dubbing then even the modern films.


"I told you G, you gotta pace yourself with that Southern Comfort stuff..."

Firsts
-Meeting of Mothra & Godzilla
-Death of Mothra

[gojikranz]

his commentary is on monster zero (i refuse to call it invasion of asto monster)

Mothra vs godzilla considered by many to be the best godzilla sequel.  very good i guess im not the biggest mothra fan(my favorite is coming soon).  it should be noted that this is one of only two films that i prefer the english version, and it is the only english version that features additional special effects sequences shot in japan (the frontier missilie sequence) .  The suit is also probably the best looking one of all of them.  great effects all around.  8 of 10.

[Bob]

You bastards are going to cost me a lot of money.   

[Zandrax]

his commentary is on monster zero (i refuse to call it invasion of asto monster)

Mothra vs godzilla considered by many to be the best godzilla sequel.  very good i guess im not the biggest mothra fan(my favorite is coming soon).  it should be noted that this is one of only two films that i prefer the english version, and it is the only english version that features additional special effects sequences shot in japan (the frontier missilie sequence) .  The suit is also probably the best looking one of all of them.  great effects all around.  8 of 10.

OK, I don't think I ever listened to the commentary because the guy was dull.

[Tripe]

all the commentaries are great IMHO.  although watch out one of them has commentary from mst3k hater himself stuart galbraith IV

Thank you for reminding my of the comedy gold that is HOPPING MAD OVER 'MST3000' , he must be fun at parties mustn't he? 

[gojikranz]

he knows his godzilla.  some people do take things a bit too seriously though.

[Zandrax]

he knows his godzilla.  some people do take things a bit too seriously though.

I'll never understand getting mad over pardoy/mocking. I'm a huge Star Wars geek, and Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie in the history of time. But you bet I loved the Rifftrax for it. I only get mad when stuff is recreated or added on in a "serious" manner that winds up degrading the original...

...like the 1998 American Godzilla for example...

[gojikranz]

oh man are you gonna be doing a review of GINO?  i guess it fits into the series now with what happened in final wars...

[Tripe]

he knows his godzilla.  some people do take things a bit too seriously though.

I'll never understand getting mad over pardoy/mocking. I'm a huge Star Wars geek, and Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie in the history of time. But you bet I loved the Rifftrax for it. I only get mad when stuff is recreated or added on in a "serious" manner that winds up degrading the original...

...like the 1998 American Godzilla for example...

I'll go you one further, I grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and I love Shakespeare's plays (and all other Renaissance drama) however there isn't a play of his I've been to since I was little that I've not added snark to as it progresses (something that many of us who grew up in Stratford did and do).

What Mike et al did has a pretty long tradition stretching at least as far back as the Southbank and The Globe.

Now back to the little Japanese fellas in rubber dinosaur suits.  

[Zandrax]

oh man are you gonna be doing a review of GINO?  i guess it fits into the series now with what happened in final wars...

I did say every Godzilla movie ever made, didn't I? 

[gojikranz]

make sure you get godzilla vs bambi as well then 

[Zandrax]

he knows his godzilla.  some people do take things a bit too seriously though.

I'll never understand getting mad over pardoy/mocking. I'm a huge Star Wars geek, and Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie in the history of time. But you bet I loved the Rifftrax for it. I only get mad when stuff is recreated or added on in a "serious" manner that winds up degrading the original...

...like the 1998 American Godzilla for example...

I'll go you one further, I grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and I love Shakespeare's plays (and all other Renaissance drama) however there isn't a play of his I've been to since I was little that I've not added snark to as it progresses (something that many of us who grew up in Stratford did and do).

What Mike et al did has a pretty long tradition stretching at least as far back as the Southbank and The Globe.

Now back to the little Japanese fellas in rubber dinosaur suits.  

You can find the Siskel & Ebert review of the MST Movie online somewhere. I think it was Ebert who admitted to not knowing the show very well but basically nailed it when it comes to MST3K's appeal. They do what many movie fans do, strike back at bad movies by talking back to them.

If there ever is a MST reunion, Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster is ripe for the pickins.

[Bob]

If there ever is a MST reunion, Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster is ripe for the pickins.

I saw that in the theater when I was a kid and I thought the message was heavy handed then, so I am sure it will seem like a sledgehammer now.

[gojikranz]

he knows his godzilla.  some people do take things a bit too seriously though.

I'll never understand getting mad over pardoy/mocking. I'm a huge Star Wars geek, and Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie in the history of time. But you bet I loved the Rifftrax for it. I only get mad when stuff is recreated or added on in a "serious" manner that winds up degrading the original...

...like the 1998 American Godzilla for example...

I'll go you one further, I grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and I love Shakespeare's plays (and all other Renaissance drama) however there isn't a play of his I've been to since I was little that I've not added snark to as it progresses (something that many of us who grew up in Stratford did and do).

What Mike et al did has a pretty long tradition stretching at least as far back as the Southbank and The Globe.

Now back to the little Japanese fellas in rubber dinosaur suits.  

You can find the Siskel & Ebert review of the MST Movie online somewhere. I think it was Ebert who admitted to not knowing the show very well but basically nailed it when it comes to MST3K's appeal. They do what many movie fans do, strike back at bad movies by talking back to them.

If there ever is a MST reunion, Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster is ripe for the pickins.

toho wont ever let that happen.  there only hope is probably king kong vs godzilla which is owned by universal for a  few more years, even that though i would give slim odds and toho might still let loose a lawsuit.  (although i really dont understand the whole licensing thing myself, but im fairly confident that sea monster and megalon were probably borderline illegal when they were done in the first place, and we all know what happened to the megalon dvd)